There is a need for an infant co-sleeper that is easy to use, easy to manufacture, and supportive of breastfeeding mothers.
Infant sleepers are well known in the art. The most common are in the shape of a crib, bassinet or the like, such as those shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 274,467; 2,401,605; 3,383,718; and 3,466,678. These sleepers typically are for use alongside a bed. As a breastfeeding aide they are certainly better than a full crib. They are too big to be used in some bedrooms and/or may form an obstruction.
Other sleepers that may be used in bed are along the lines as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,238 to Clute, which is comprised of a complicated system of triangular pillows strapped together for the purpose of keeping a sleeping infant on his side. Its purpose is to keep an infant generally stationary. This type of device helps prevent SIDS by immobilization and either requires the complex joining of pillows with fastening strips or the placement of abutments on a plane. The child is not free to move. Devices such as these are not practical for breastfeeding mothers due to the complicated use of straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,730 to Sher consists of two support cushions placed upon a planar surface. The cushions are attached to the surface with hook and eye fasteners. A big drawback to this design is that the noise made while moving or adjusting a cushion could wake a sleeping baby, and in any case, the cushions are locked into place and are inflexible. They don't have any “give”.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,884 to McMonagle describes a simple device that solves many of the problems faced by a co-sleeping, breastfeeding mother. The device uses rigid tubes attached to a pad. The tubes form an abutment that keeps an infant from rolling off of whatever surface the pad is place upon. However, the tubes must be inflated—impractical in the middle of the night after deflation for a feeding. Additionally the tubes can easily get punctured, and one must a have a ready replacement or the device is no longer useful.